Shahili Gomes, a graduate of Imperial College London, has a keen eye for fashion honed in London and Copenhagen. A former athlete, she represented Sri Lanka in synchronised swimming. Shahili created The Design Collective (TDC) store as a platform for South Asian designers along with her co-founder Binu Wickramasinghe. The unique retail space encourages group collaborations and female leadership in fashion. In its second year and with several major collaborations in the pipeline, the Design Collective keeps the jet-setting IT girl busy, thus making her divide her time between Colombo and London. This week we sat down with the talented and fashionable Shahili, to find out as to how one can make a fashion statement in your day-to-day life whilst being on the go. She also shares with us as to where she gets her clothes and accessories from. Your everyday clothes can be a statement “My day to day style tends to be quite casual. Mostly in ripped jeans and shirts, but these days I love oversized dresses which I wear with flats or wedge heels! I love the sense of freedom and movement of these oversized dresses. My current favourite is from “itr” by Khyati Pande, a designer from Delhi, with whom we work very closely with at TDC.” Favourite shade of lipstick + your signature hairstyle = instant transformation “I guess my signature look is hair in a pineapple bun and bright lipstick. I’m always dashing from one place to another, so often I don’t have time to do much with my hair or makeup. The pineapple bun is quick and easy. Bright lipstick is a must for me. I have so many shades of red! I think it’s a really easy way to dress up a casual look. Lipstick can be transformative in a way other makeup isn’t. I always have at least one lipstick with me just in case I suddenly need to look more glam!” Select one item of jewellery as your statement piece “Statement earrings are key to my look. I am constantly on the lookout for new and unusual designs. At The Design Collective we work with some very cool local designers that use typical stones from Sri Lanka that I love to make a statement with. I am forever bugging the designers to produce more! I was recently in Japan and had a field day with all the boutique designers and quirky designs. For me, when it comes to earrings the bigger and brighter the better! My favourite pair at the moment is from Sangeeta Boochra, one of our new designers at TDC. As for other jewellery, I love stacking bangles, especially gold coloured ones. Amrapali is my go to for bangles, and when I am in Delhi I always head straight to their store.” Wear OTT (over the top) tops “For evening events, I am really into these as they stand out from the crowd in terms of their structure or pattern. I recently wore a Gauri and Nainaka top to MBFW which typifies this look. It’s structural and bold. It’s a confident, classic look and I loved it! For really glam events, I love working with designers such as Dimuthu, Amilani, Aslam and Sonali for custom evening looks.” On flight fashion “I currently divide my time between Colombo and London, and spend a lot of time getting on and off flights! I like to be comfy when I fly, so I tend to wear jersey or brushed cotton tracksuits. As spending too much plane time can have a dehydrating effect on my skin, I have developed a strict regime when I get on a flight thanks to my friend Shanika also known as Beauty Doctor SL. I drink a bottle of water then apply a hydrating face mask. It tends to attract some sideways glances from other passengers, but it really helps me feel fresh.” [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="12561,12562,12563,12564"] IG Shahili Gomes @shahiligomesmccoy The Design Collective @thedesigncollectivestore By Nikita Gomez